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hayleybeale's review against another edition
4.0
Bleak speculative fiction set in a just-around-the-corner Britain, where the Coalition has brought in Brexit on steroids: nobody is allowed in or out of the country, and all citizens are chipped (for their own safety of course!). See my full review here.
jillelice's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
alongreader's review against another edition
3.0
A scarily plausible, slightly future novel. I wasn't too fond of the format, using the dash instead of quotation marks - I found it difficult to tell when dialogue ended and narration kicked in. I enjoyed the story, though, it was interesting and had twists to keep me reading. I'll watch out for more by the same author.
powisamy's review against another edition
4.0
Outwalkers was a book that I haven't really heard of before this YAShot tour, but this does not mean that I didn't enjoy the book. Even though I read a lot of Dystopian fiction when I was younger, Outwalkers is still a fresh and new dystopian read that is well worth the time.
I think the first thing to strike me about Outwalkers is its English setting. I know that there have been other books set in the UK, but I just haven't read them so is to me was a good thing. It was just interesting to see this setting used because as someone who reads a lot of US Dystopian I always wondered what the UK was like in this place. This one was not the greatest if I am honest, but it was interesting to read it. The scariest thing is the fact that this could be a reality.
One of my favourite elements of the book was the relationship especially Jake and Jet because fictional dogs are one of my favourite things. To be honest, I was quite scared of what would happen to the dog at the start of the book from previous reading experiences, but this was OK in the end.
I also really like the dynamic between Jake and the Outwalkers themselves especially with Ollie who was likeable. It was just nice to see relationships that were more multi-layered and had so many good characters. Their relationships were often put to the test which is understood with the circumstances.
Although I really liked the book, I think that some of the plot points were a little unrealistic. I know that this is a fiction book, but this is kind of mentioned in the book itself and did not take away from the story. The plot in places was quite slow going but I do think that this allowed for good world building and was a way to build the characters. When the plot got going it was a book that I couldn't put down. This was especially the case in the end where everything came together, and I wanted to get straight to the end.
The Verdict:
Outwalkers was an enjoyable read especially a UKYA dystopian read which I was hooked on from start to finish.
I think the first thing to strike me about Outwalkers is its English setting. I know that there have been other books set in the UK, but I just haven't read them so is to me was a good thing. It was just interesting to see this setting used because as someone who reads a lot of US Dystopian I always wondered what the UK was like in this place. This one was not the greatest if I am honest, but it was interesting to read it. The scariest thing is the fact that this could be a reality.
One of my favourite elements of the book was the relationship especially Jake and Jet because fictional dogs are one of my favourite things. To be honest, I was quite scared of what would happen to the dog at the start of the book from previous reading experiences, but this was OK in the end.
I also really like the dynamic between Jake and the Outwalkers themselves especially with Ollie who was likeable. It was just nice to see relationships that were more multi-layered and had so many good characters. Their relationships were often put to the test which is understood with the circumstances.
Although I really liked the book, I think that some of the plot points were a little unrealistic. I know that this is a fiction book, but this is kind of mentioned in the book itself and did not take away from the story. The plot in places was quite slow going but I do think that this allowed for good world building and was a way to build the characters. When the plot got going it was a book that I couldn't put down. This was especially the case in the end where everything came together, and I wanted to get straight to the end.
The Verdict:
Outwalkers was an enjoyable read especially a UKYA dystopian read which I was hooked on from start to finish.
carolineroche's review against another edition
4.0
Great dystopian thriller along the lines of a road trip. Great read.
sharpiemyshoe's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
liv_72's review
challenging
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
booksandlemonsquash's review against another edition
4.0
When I was only a few chapters in I was already hooked! It seems a little slow in places but in a way that really draws you in, so not a bad thing at all!
I loved all the characters, and the dystopian setting. Dystopia is not always my favourite genre, but when it’s done well I love the way it is genuinely chilling and this is definitely that! Set in a very recognisable future Britain, it’s hard not to see how this could happen (however unlikely it would be!) and hard not to empathise with the characters. In fact my main let down with the book is actually not knowing more about how this all came to be (there are details shared about the catalytic events but not what led up to them) and specifically about what the debt thing the kids owe.
Character wise my favourite was obviously Jet! But I liked that swift looked out for Cass and similar with Martha and Davie. I also want to see more of Ollie hehe! They were all fab. Jake is a good main character - in places I was yelling at him to think harder about his parents, but he gets forgiven for being young and tough and brave :) and loyal to Jet! 🐶😍 though that dog was far too well trained!!
There are a lot of happy coincidences in what the kids luck into but also so many bad ones. The whole section in the underground, you could really feel the desperation. Sadly those coincidences did sometimes make it a little predictable.
I loved the bit in the department store. Surely that is every kids dream!
My only other main niggle about the book is the speech - the lack of quotation marks made it hard to follow when speech ended in places. Though having said that it wasn’t as bad or annoying as I assumed it would be.
Overall, a really good dystopian universe with interesting main characters. I highly recommend it!
I loved all the characters, and the dystopian setting. Dystopia is not always my favourite genre, but when it’s done well I love the way it is genuinely chilling and this is definitely that! Set in a very recognisable future Britain, it’s hard not to see how this could happen (however unlikely it would be!) and hard not to empathise with the characters. In fact my main let down with the book is actually not knowing more about how this all came to be (there are details shared about the catalytic events but not what led up to them) and specifically about what the debt thing the kids owe.
Character wise my favourite was obviously Jet! But I liked that swift looked out for Cass and similar with Martha and Davie. I also want to see more of Ollie hehe! They were all fab. Jake is a good main character - in places I was yelling at him to think harder about his parents, but he gets forgiven for being young and tough and brave :) and loyal to Jet! 🐶😍 though that dog was far too well trained!!
There are a lot of happy coincidences in what the kids luck into but also so many bad ones. The whole section in the underground, you could really feel the desperation. Sadly those coincidences did sometimes make it a little predictable.
I loved the bit in the department store. Surely that is every kids dream!
My only other main niggle about the book is the speech - the lack of quotation marks made it hard to follow when speech ended in places. Though having said that it wasn’t as bad or annoying as I assumed it would be.
Overall, a really good dystopian universe with interesting main characters. I highly recommend it!
humairabaiyant's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0